In order to review the implementation scenario of National Saffron Mission, Secretary Agriculture Production Department (APD), Manzoor Ahmad Lone today visited Pampore and convened a meeting of concerned officers to get feedback about various issues confronting the farmers.Secretary Agriculture stressed upon the need to uphold the interests of farmers stressed on the need to adopt integrated farming, protected farming and precise farming so that the visible improvement in the socio-economic status of the farmers could be achieved.While reviewing the saffron sector he asked the concerned engineers that all the bore wells established under national saffron mission should be made completely functional by 15th December 2018 so that sprinkle irrigation facility to the saffron growers could be ensured.He asked the officers to ensure that every farmer has sufficient information about different schemes and programs that are being implemented by agriculture and allied departments. Dissemination of knowledge among farmers is the key factor in achieving the desired results, he said.
He said, amid shrinking farming land the agriculture has a challenge to optimise its use in terms of production and productivity on one hand and to maintain it as an economically sustainable resource on the other hand.Earlier Lone visited different saffron growing areas of Pampore where he interacted with saffron growers and other farmers to get first-hand information about agriculture activities on the ground. He inspected various recently established sprinkle systems and had a meeting with the representatives of saffron growers to share ideas to strengthen the saffron sector. He also visited different sections of saffron park Dusoo where he was briefed about their utilities by concern officers.During the visit he was accompanied by Director Agriculture Kashmir Altaf Aijaz Andrabi, Director Horticulture Kashmir Manzoor Ahmad Quadri, Director Sericulture J&K Shabnum Gulzar, Director Command area M Haroon Malik, Director Law enforcement J&K A R Samoon, Chief Engineer M&E, Additional Deputy Commissioner Pulwama and Joint Directors of the department.